


And We'll Take This Town, Tear it Down

by firefright



Series: Talon and the Hood [9]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Fear, Gen, M/M, Murder, Sexual Content, Torture, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:45:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefright/pseuds/firefright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason and Talon, now the newly-dubbed Bluebird, are out to make Bludhaven their own, but first they need to take down their biggest opposition: Roland Desmond, AKA Blockbuster. And Blockbuster has no intention of going down easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for death and non-graphic, unethical interrogation techniques ahead.

Jason can hear Dick laughing as they race over the rooftops, a flickering blue and black shadow always at the edge of his vision.

He wears a smile of his own, though he holds any laughter at bay as he concentrates on keeping up with his partner. Death, a whole lot of training, and even months of running at the former-Talon's side have still left Jason unable to match his grace and agility no matter how hard he tries; most nights it's all he can do to simply keep up when Dick really gets going.

Five weeks ago, after a whole two months of plotting, planning and laying low, Bluebird and Redwing had made their debut in Bludhaven in all their costumed glory.

They run blue and red to black. Their sigils matching stylised V's like bird wings across their chests in their chosen colours, designed to act as a middle finger to Bruce and the Court as they take back their own avian titles, Robin and Talon forever behind them.

It's all change. Except that Jason is unable to leave behind his love of a good leather jacket to return to using a utility belt.

Quickly realising he's lost sight of Bluebird once again, Jason pushes himself harder, hurtling forwards for the edge of the rooftop - only to be brought up short by a hand seizing hold of his shoulder from the cover of the air conditioning unit.

It's to the credit of their relationship that he doesn't cry out or attempt to launch a punch at Dick's surprise grab. Instead Jason obediently stops, narrowing his eyes behind his red domino mask as Bluebird touches his finger to his lips and then nods his head towards the skylight on the opposite apartment block.

They leap over, one after the other, and then together crouch, shoulder to shoulder, at the edges of the skylight. Jason rubs his chin as he looks through the glass to see what his partner has found.

That is one huge motherfucker.

Roland Desmond is roughly the size and shape of a small elephant, big enough to put a fully venomised Bane to shame, and that's saying something. While the ruling crimelord of Bludhaven isn't unknown to Redwing and Bluebird by this point, it's the first time they've actually seen Blockbuster in person.

"Think I could-" Bluebird's hand covers his mouth before he can get any further and Jason doesn't really think through licking his palm in retalitation, only to taste dirt and grit from his gloves. Grimacing he takes out one of his guns and mimes shooting a couple times through the glass instead.

This action earns Jason a bite to his ear for his trouble, which is a pretty effective way for Dick to let him know that he disapproves of that plan. Jason's not sure why; unless Roland's skull is extra thick to match the rest of him, a bullet to the head will be a bullet to the head, with the same effect on him as it would any normal sized man.

His partner gestures back down to the view inside and Jason suddenly understands.

There's a man who's just walked in, parting the waves of Desmond's bodyguards like he's Moses himself and yeah, Jason recognises this guy too. Dudley Soames is a cop, a dirty cop, one of the one's they'd marked as they felt out Bludhaven's corrupted police force to see how deep the shit-stained rabbit hole went.

It should be like Christmas for them, a two for one bonus, except that something isn't quite right here. 

Jason watches Soames stand before the behemoth that is Blockbuster, and he has a front row view for just how quickly the confidence drops from his face as the big boss moves forward. Roland doesn't stalk exactly, he's too big for that, it's more like watching a mouse in the path of a charging bull. Two seconds later and - _Jesus Christ._

Jason's seen a lot of fucked up things in his life, but watching a guys neck get twisted 180 degrees before his body is dumped on the floor means he might need to redefine what that means. He feels Bluebird tense as his side and knows what he's thinking, that letting Blockbuster get close enough to grab either of them would be an instant death sentence.

Shooting him from a distance is definitely the best plan.

He cocks his gun, glances again at Dick to check if he has any further objections to Jason putting the evil son of a bitch down sooner rather than later and then aims down the sight. He'll have one, maybe two shots tops before the big man knows they're around and his goons move to intercept the attack, so he better make them count.

One hit to the brain pan coming right -

Bluebird seizes him by the collar of his jacket and yanks him roughly to the side and down, saving Jason's life - but also Blockbusters.

"What the fuck!" Jason hisses as his cheek kisses the hard cement, and he rolls the moment Bluebird's weight leaves him, narrowly dodging the impact of another bullet so close to his head. Alarms are sounding below and the perfect moment is shot to shit. He looks up furiously, springing back onto his feet to face the fucker who got in the way.

It's a woman. 

"Who are you supposed to be," He challenges, "Madame Butterfly?"

"Lady Vic, actually." She speaks with a crisp British accent, pointing an actual real life rapier alongside a revolver at both of them. Blue looks about as impressed as Jason feels.

"Are you sure?" Jason fires back without missing a beat, pointing his own gun back at her. "Because that mask makes you look like a bug, just so you know."

Her mouth pinches at the corners, showing his words have hit a mark. "And you're the two new birds in town who have been interfering in Blockbuster's operations. I knew you'd show your faces here soon enough."

"Aw, you hear that Blue? We've been keeping a lady waiting," Jason sneers, mocking her accent in a way that's almost as painful as Dick Van Dyke's attempt at being cockney. "Bad form, roight?"

Bluebird says nothing, just tilts his head thoughtfully but that's fine, silent and scary is kind of his deal when on the job. Jason's the mouthy one in these situations, or any situation really.

"Mock me if you wish, you'll be dead soon."

Jason exchanges a look with Blue, twisting his fingers in a signal only the two of them will understand. To anyone else it's a nonsense movement, more like he's saying she's crazy than anything. "Well gosh, guess we should run then. I mean, since you're so big and scary, Ladybug."

He lifts his gun, fires off a shot which she's already moving to avoid, and then they're off.

It's a calculated move to run. Not because they're afraid of her, oh no, Lady Vic - or Lady Victim if you want to get precise - is someone they can both handle, but Jason knows that in a matter of moments the roof will also be swarmed by armed thugs from downstairs and that could tilt the odds. Better to let her think that she has the upper hand and lead her to a place where they can quickly and quietly take her down without being disturbed.

She thinks they're rookies at this game, unknowns, and that works in their favour.

Predictably she focuses more on Jason as they flee the rooftop, dodging the bullets from Blockbuster's goons. He's the one who with the attitude, the one who pissed her off and took a pot shot at her first; he doesn't think she even realises the moment Dick vanishes as he keeps throwing quips and bullets back at her. His partner melts into the shadows like they're a second skin.

It isn't until they're at least six rooftops across that he slows and let's her catch up to him by pretending to trip. It's funny how she doesn't realise that. An assassin for hire, especially one with a good rep, should be a little smarter than this.

"Too slow, boy!" Lady Vic says in premature triumph as her rapier strikes the gun out of his hand and a well placed kick to his stomach knocks Jason to his ass. The tip of the blade touches his throat and she smiles, confident beyond her means. "And now you're mine. Your partner was smart to abandon you. Amateurs should have known better than to come to this city."

Jason laughs, getting a thrill out of how her mouth twists down from a smirk to a frown. He lets himself drop back against the rooftop in his mirth.

"What - why are you laughing?" She demands, drawing blood at his throat as she presses closer.

"Oh, you know, just at how stupid you are." Jason quits his snickering, lips pulling back in a feral smirk. "Don't you know that birds hunt insects?"

Lady Vic's eyes are hidden, so he doesn't actually get to see them bug out of her head in realisation. Too late she turns to look behind her at the sleek killer emerging from the darkness like the God damn ghost of death himself. The take down is a thing of elegant beauty and Jason thinks, _wow_ , if he isn't the luckiest man on Earth.

Jason stands back up and prowls over to where Bluebird's pinned Lady Vic down with his knee pressed between her shoulders. His dagger is held against her throat and Jason feels a little thrill when Dick glances his way, waiting for his go ahead to finish the job. First things first though, Jason is going to get a little information out of her for their trouble.

"So," Jason crouches down in front of Lady Vic, and Dick pulls back on her thick braid to force her to look at him, "The big man contracted you to take us out, huh? We must be getting to him."

The key is to make them think they've got a chance of getting out after this is over, a delusion that's helped by the fact that Redwing and Bluebird aren't known as straight up killers in Bludhaven. They've tied up and left for the corrupt justice system more than they've put in the ground (because Jason really does believe fear has the power to turn some criminals around, just not the worst of them), and those they did take care of permanently have been made impossible to link back to them.

"Don't think so highly of yourself." She sneers at him through red painted lips, "You're an annoyance, nothing more. I was called in for pest control."

"And how's that going for you?" Jason snickers, rubbing his finger over the bridge of his nose. "Because from my point of view you may want to find another job."

"You think you scare me?" Lady Vic snorts derisively, doing a credible job of hiding any fear she feels. "You heroes are all bark and no bite."

That's exactly the kind of rhetoric he expected from Lady Vic, but they'll soon prove her wrong.

"See, that's where you're mistaken, we're not like other those other heroes." Jason weighs his gun thoughtfully in his hand for a moment before cracking her across the face with it. She yells as her nose breaks. "We're all bite. So here's the deal, you better give us something we can use against Blockbuster or we dump your corpse in the harbour. You don't want that right?"

He rather thinks she doesn't.

Jason doesn't like hurting women, even evil one's. Throughout his life they have generally been kinder to him than men (with some exceptions); still, between him and Bluebird they make her talk. It's not nice, it's not clean, but by the end they have a much better lay of the land than they did previously and Lady Vic's still breathing.

"Thanks for the help," He tells her, examining one of the broken shards of her mask. She's pretty enough underneath it, the way a disproportionate amount of heroes and villains seem to be. "But I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

Lady Vic spits blood on the ground, relief spreading over her face as she looks expectantly up at him, evidently waiting for Jason to pull out handcuffs and lash her to the nearest structure like Batman would. That's her last mistake.

She doesn't notice the blade slicing across her throat until it's too late.

Lady Vic's eyes only go wide for a second. Really, it's a quick way to die, merciful even: though not quite so merciful as a bullet to the brain would have been. Considering the stories Jason's read about what she did to her victims they're letting her off lightly. He doesn't feel at all bad when taking out one remorseless killer will save more lives in the long run.

Jason waits until Dick's finished wiping his blade clean before turning his back on her corpse.

They head down onto the street to find a payphone, which Jason uses to place an anonymous call to 911, putting on a ridiculously nasal voice to hide his own that makes Blue laugh in his ear and lick the dried blood from his neck distractingly. When he hangs up the phone Jason whirls round on him, kisses Blue senseless in vengeance, then pulls away to aim back up for the rooftops.

"Hey, takeout tonight?"

"Italian."

Jason laughs at the demanding tone Blue uses, shaking his head in amusement. He's riding a little high off the adrenaline still but the run home will take care of that. "Sure, Italian. Anything you want, Blue."

They get hot, fresh risotto from the place down the street with tiramisu to share after, eating the lot between them while Jason adds what they've learned from Lady Vic to their case file on Blockbuster. 

Now all they have to do is come up with a plan to get rid of the ugly fucker himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Lady Vic's death is an early victory, but after that things get serious fast.

Killing her let Blockbuster know that they're not playing around; that they're not amateur do-gooders, keeping their heads above the ethical waterline and delivering every perp they meet alive to the police but trained killers, aiming to deal with Blockbuster in a far more effective and permanent fashion.

It makes things more difficult for them, as well as a hell of a lot more fun.

Jason can just imagine Bruce's face if he ever told him that. The pursuit of justice wasn't supposed to be fun in the eyes of Batman, Jason however considers it a hell of a bonus to the gig.

They start by undermining every operation that Blockbuster has going on in town. For Jason it's incredibly tempting to start up the same drug racket he had as the Red Hood to bring them in some extra income as well as control the issue of narcotics onto the streets (away from the children), but he's too wary of repeating himself so close to home. Bruce and his ilk have an eye for patterns.

It's also not necessary when he still has a lot of the money Talia gave him gathering interest in various bank accounts, anyway.

The older, simpler methods of disrupting drug supply lines and destroying stock work just as well as they ever did. Adding to that chaos, Jason also takes the time to throw leads left, right and centre at the very few clean cops in town. Leads that can't be buried by any amount of purposeful incompetency fuelled by bribes.

Here in Bludhaven Blue and Jason are fighting their very own guerilla war, and they measure their success by how many new specialists Desmond hires to try and take them down.

After Lady Vic come the Trigger Twins, Tad and Tod, big bruisers who fancy themselves cowboys. It's embarrassing how quickly they fall. 

Then there's Giz and Mouse, two hackers who use the city's network of security camera's to run a trace programme to track Bluebird and Redwing's movements. They try to booby trap the frequent locations they think they travel, endangering hundreds of innocents in the process. Jason's all kinds of furious about that one but he still let's them live after putting the fear of God into them; mostly because all in all the pair don't seem that harmful, just shit-scared of Blockbuster.

(Of course letting them live isn't exactly a mercy with a boss like that, but if they escape his wrath they'll think twice before ever doing anything like this again.)

There's a couple other wannabe vigilante's who spring into being as well, inspired by their efforts. Some kid who can't spell calling himself Nite-Wing and a woman who named herself Tarantula after the famous old hero, neither of which Jason has the patience for.

Maybe under other circumstances he'd have encouraged them, but with Blue around he doesn't need anymore partners, and the boy, Tad Ryerstad, soon scuppers his own efforts by getting himself caught by the police. He was out of control, as well as not smart enough for the gig, and Jason considers it a problem that solved itself. Tarantula however...

Catalina Flores is smart as well as dangerous.

Bluebird followed her home after their first encounter, which enabled Jason to quickly dig out her identity. Former-FBI, sister of Bludhaven's assistant district-attorney, and dedicated.

In a lot of ways she reminds Jason of himself. She grew up in a poor, deprived area, hungry with a desire to see justice served for all the wrongdoings going off around her, and when she realised that the law would never fix those problems she decided to take on the responsibility herself. Her attitude is just as harsh as his when it comes to dealing with criminals.

But he still doesn't want her around.

"I can help you." She argues behind him, which is really not what Jason needs when he's going about the delicate process of disarming a bomb hidden under a school. This doesn't look Blockbuster's work, he can tell that right away, it's not his style either, which means it could be something new. Probably some run-of-the-mill psycho who thinks it'd be funny to blow children up.

Bluebird stands guard between her and Jason, and Jason doesn't like the way she eyes him up one little bit.

"Good for you, but we don't need your help." He frowns at the bomb. Jason spent a heck of a lot of time studying under one of the greatest explosive masters in the world, he knows bombs inside and out, and this one is... it's clumsy, for lack of a better word, like the creator just threw it together at the last minute with whatever supplies he had lying around. That makes it all the more dangerous.

Experienced bomb-makers make explosives carefully, make them so they won't just go off at the drop of the hat. The crude construction in front of Jason now makes him think the guy was lucky it didn't ignite the moment he set it down.

Tarantula makes a frustrated noise. "Why not? The more hands the better. We can clean up this city together and destroy Blockbuster for his crimes."

Jason responds with a disinterested grunt. Sue him, he's preoccupied.

"Bluebird," He snorts, if she thinks Dick will be more sympathetic to her then she's definitely barking up the wrong tree. "You know I'm right, don't you?" Her voice drops, turns huskier, "I can help you. What you two are doing, it's inspiring, you're saving this city."

She's trying to flirt with him, Jesus Christ.

Jason keeps working, secure in the knowledge that she won't get anywhere by doing that, and while he does he thinks. How did she know how to find him here? Did she come chasing the same rumour they did? His suspicion is growing with every moment, the hairs raising on the back of his neck as he finally figures out how to disable the bomb, stripping the inner components with a sigh of relief when it doesn't blow them all to kingdom come.

"We need to get out of here. This is -"

The door at the top of the basement stairs slams shut and Jason swears as he pulls out his guns, waiting for the hammer to fall. It's a trap, so where's the threat? There has to be _something_ coming their way.

"What is -"

"Shut up." Jason snarls at Tarantula, he's watching his partner, who has his head tilted upwards. "Blue?"

"Listen." 

With the bomb's ticking gone he can detect a faint hissing sound over their heads. Jason doesn't waste a moment more as he yells, "Breathers!"

Gas is filtering into the room and Jason has no idea what kind. It could be poison, maybe a sedative meant to knock them out. Or something far worse. There's no way of knowing how long it's been seeping into the air around them either while they've been distracted by the bomb.

Damn it, his heart is beating too fast as he slips the filter over his mouth and nose. He needs to calm down.

Then a Bat-shaped shadow catches at the corner of his eye and Jason whirls, guns out, to face it. But there's nothing there.

"I don't have one of those." Tarantula sounds panicky, "I don't have one! Oh Dios, what is... I can hear things in the walls!"

That's funny, Jason can't hear anything. He glances over at Dick and his eyes widen behind his mask because for a second it isn't Bluebird standing there; it's Talon dressed in black and bronze, eyes coldly yellow and without any recognition whatsoever in them as he looks at Jason.

He shuts his eyes tightly, trying to clear his vision, and when he open's them again he see's Dick's shaking, mouth slightly parted under the clear plastic oxygen filter as he seems to stare at nothing. Wth a dawning sense of horror Jason realises what this is.

"Fear gas..." He manages to gasp, "It's fear gas! Whatever you're seeing or hearing, it's not real."

_Calm down_ , he tells himself. _You know what this is, you know how to handle it. You've done it before._

"But daddy was always there to help you before, wasn't he, kiddo?" 

Jason freezes in place as the low, giddy rasp of the Joker's voice comes from behind him. "You always had olllld Batsy backing you up with his antidotes. And now what have you got? The itsy-bitsy spider and a half-plucked bird."

He can feel hot breath on his neck as the voice howls with laughter. 

"Shut up, shut up you freak. You're dead."

The Joker tsks in his ear, always out of sight behind Jason as he turns to lash out at the air. Always laughing. "Now, now, Jay-boy, you and I both know how temporary death can be."

It's different though. The Joker was _cremated_ , burned to ashes by the GCPD. Jason knows, he read the papers and broke into their computer records just to make sure. Incinerated and then buried in the grounds of Arkham. He can't come back.

"You're not real. It's fear gas. You're not real. You can't hurt me."

_Logic, Robin_. The Joker is, was, Jason's worst nightmare but the Joker's dead. So long as he focuses on that fact he can pull out of this. "Blue?" He doesn't give a shit about what Tarantula's seeing but Dick... Jason knows Dick has some very powerful skeleton's in his closet.

"Now talk about funny. How long do you think your little charade is going to last?" Joker hums as Jason presses himself along the wall, focusing on the blurry figure of his lover ahead. "One day bird-boy's going to remember who he is, and oh ho ho! It'll be a riot! Hey, do you think he'll appreciate all the enabling you've done for his murderous side?"

"Shut the fuck up, Joker!"

"I don't. See, I remember him as the Boy Wonder. He was sooo dedicated to doing the right thing and making daddy-Bats proud that I think he'll be positively horrified! He'll hate himself and you, and then poor baby Jason will be all alone again!" The burst of maniacal laughter makes Jason flinch this time. 

The Joker snickers, croons in his ear as he bites his lip and looks down. His breath smells like grave dirt and rotten flesh. "Hit the nail on the head didn't I? See lamb chop, he's got that convenient amnesia as an excuse for killing, but you? That's all natural. You're a _real _monster."__

__A scream shatters the air. Tarantula, fighting against whatever it is she's seeing, barrels into Bluebird and the effect is disastrous. Jason thinks he lets out a hoarse cry of his own at the flash of steel in her hand._ _

__It does a hell of a lot towards clearing his head, rage pushing through the fear as he violently throws himself forwards at her._ _

__Tarantula's head snaps backwards under the impact of his fist, her hand letting go of the knife buried in Dick's _chest_. Somehow it defied all the odds to slip between the more vulnerable parts of the armour. "Get away from him!"_ _

__The Joker's cackling acts as a soundtrack as Jason knocks her down and kicks her in the ribs, over and over until she's whimpering and not likely to be moving anytime soon; even if she weren't paralysed by her own fears playing in her head. God knows what Tarantula see's when she looks at Redwing standing over her._ _

__Jason breathes heavily._ _

__"Blue..." he darts down by his side, fingers running over Dick's face, touching the edges of his domino. "Blue, baby. Look at me, please look at me."_ _

__If Bluebird were anyone else Tarantula would be dead right now, but luckily for her Talon's don't die so easily._ _

__Dick's mouth parts as he coughs, specks of blood coating the inside of his rebreather. He looks dazed, fingers touching the knife in his chest and Jason gently guides it away so he can't make it worse. His mouth forms a shape, an unspoken syllable that looks like..._ _

___Bruce_._ _

__"No." he swallows. "No Blue, it's me." It's just a slip, it doesn't mean _anything_._ _

__Something seems to clear as Bluebird looks up at him, a soft sigh leaving his lips. "Little bird."_ _

__"Yeah, it's me." Jason presses their foreheads together, determined to show his partner what's real. "I'm here, Blue. I need you to focus on me, okay? I'm here, I'm real."_ _

__"What... what happened?"_ _

__"Fear gas. We were breathing it in while I disabled the bomb, but you caught it before we took too strong a dose. It's wearing off now." For them, not for Catalina. "Tarantula stabbed you, she thought you were... I don't know what the fuck she thought, but she's down. You're safe."_ _

__Blue takes this in. Jason can see him pulling himself together, resolve turning to steel. "Pull it out."_ _

__"Blue -"_ _

__"Pull it out, now." His hand wraps around Jason's, placing it on the blade's handle. "I'll be okay, you know I will. Please, it's cold. Take it out."_ _

__Sweat trickles down Jason's back. It must be a lingering effect of the gas because he holds back. Logically he knows Dick will be fine, he's seen him get hurt before and recover in minutes but his hands are still shaking. It's never been such a severe injury in the past, and if Blue dies..._ _

__Oh God, if he dies._ _

__"Red." Bluebird keeps hold of his hand, his voice commanding Jason's attention back to the present. He can't see his eyes but the effect is the same. "You can do it."_ _

__Jason swallows and nods as he wraps his fingers tight around the knife handle and _pulls_. _ _

__He has to clench his teeth together as Blue lets out a sharp cry - having the ability to heal almost any wound doesn't make sustaining them painless - and slumps forwards onto him. Jason fumbles to pull a wad of bandaging from his pocket and pushes it against the injury until the bleeding slows._ _

__"We can't stay here." He murmurs against Blue's hair, over the sound of Tarantula's hitched whimpers five feet away. "This was a trap. Blockbuster has to be behind it. There's men outside waiting to come in here and grab us once they think we're down and helpless. He wanted us to suffer before we died."_ _

__Whatever Blockbuster paid to get hold of a canister of Scarecrow's fear gas, Jason will give back to him threefold in pain._ _

__"I can walk if you help me up."_ _

__Jason's careful as he hauls his partner onto his feet, drawing Blue's arm around his shoulders. They take it slow as they make for the stairs to the exit. "Think you can shoot?"_ _

__Blue gives him a feral smile through the clear plastic of his rebreather, taking the gun Jason offers him in one hand. He jerks his head behind them, at Tarantula curled helplessly in a foetal position on the floor. "What about her?"_ _

__Jason shakes his head. "You're more important."_ _

__He doesn't say it callously, even though he's furious at Tarantula for attacking Blue in her drugged state. She's trying to do the right thing and her only crime is that she's in way over her head, but Jason can't carry both of them out of here. In the choice between saving Tarantula or saving Blue there's no contest._ _

__He tries to assuage any guilt he feels over this by reasoning that if they clear the goons effectively enough she'll have the time to clear her head and escape by herself anyway._ _

__The way out is locked. Undaunted, Jason takes care of that with a small adhesive explosive that he fixes under the door handle. They back away down the steps, and Jason pushes Blue up against the wall to protect him from any debris despite his hissed protest._ _

__"Yell at me later." Jason mutters, pulling their rebreathers down so he can kiss his mouth before they move._ _

__Blowing the door buys them the advantage of surprise. Outside Jason counts twelve men all wearing gas masks waiting for them and shoots two in the head before they have chance to dive for cover, making it clear from the offset that he's not fucking around. Leaning against him Blue follows suit. He's not nearly so proficient with a gun as he is with his daggers but they make it work between them._ _

__Four down, eight to go. Jason leaves Blue using the doorway as a shield while he covers him, sprinting towards where five of the men have stupidly cowered together. Up this close and personal guns don't mean a damn thing._ _

__He ducks under the first idiot's swipe, then seizes him about the neck, turning their bodies to use him as a human shield. His buddies pepper him with bullets, minds too slow to keep up with the speed of Jason's actions. By the time they realise what they've done he's already letting the body slide to the floor._ _

__"You bastard!" One guy, sporting a shitty dude-bro mohawk yells. He's out of ammo and with no time to reload he actually _throws_ his gun at Jason like a moron._ _

__"Oh sorry!" Jason snarls as he slams into him feet first. "Did I kill Kenny?" Mohawk's head cracks down hard against the tiled floor. He doesn't need to stop and see the blood spreading to know it's a critical hit._ _

__A handspring takes Jason out of the way of another bullet, and a second later the shooter goes down in a spray of blood from the back of his head. Jason spares a moment to flip off a jaunty salute to Bluebird in thanks before moving on to his next victim. He's too fucking pissed off now to even think about taking it easy on them._ _

__Numbers four and five die clutching their throats as Jason brings out his kris. The blade, made specially for him as a gift from Talia Al-Ghul, cuts through flesh like butter, and by the time he turns his attention to the last three - no scratch that, the last two, thanks to another bullet from Bluebird - the fear in their eyes is plain to see._ _

__Well what do you know, you work for a scumbag, you die like scumbags._ _

__"So, you two look like you might have some brains between you." Jason tosses his knife up and down in his hand, blood soaking into the fabric of his gloves. "Want to deliver a message for me?"_ _

__The pair of them look at each other from behind the water cooler they're using for cover. Then one, a small guy, kind of weedy, drops his gun and holds up his hands._ _

__"Barry!" His friend hisses, voice muffled by the gas mask he's still wearing._ _

__"Shut up, man! I want to live!" The guy, Barry, says, swallowing as he looks at Jason. "We'll do whatever you say, Red. I swear. We... we just work for him, okay? It's just a job!"_ _

__Jason rolls his eyes behind his domino. "It's Redwing, you dumb shit. Only my friends get to call me Red, and you sure as hell ain't my friend." Barry's pal drops his gun too as Jason stalks closer, motioning for the pair of them to stand up before he seizes good old Barry by the front of his shirt._ _

__"Sorry, man! I mean Mr. Redwing, sir."_ _

__"Shut up!" Jason shakes him, puts the blood-coated blade to his neck, nicking the skin. "You're going to run back to your boss and you're going to tell him that play time is over. The end-game is nigh, and he better make peace with God because we're coming to send him down to meet the fucking devil. You got that?"_ _

__Barry whimpers, which Jason takes as a yes._ _

__He throws him down the corridor, and Barry and his friend take off running. It's a toss up whether they'll be smart enough to try to leave town or dumb enough to actually go and deliver the message. Jason doesn't care either way._ _

__Back at the door to the basement Blue's looking better already. He hands the gun back to Jason and attempts to duck away when he moves in to take another look at his wound, shaking his head dismissively even though he's still breathing in short stops and starts, sounding a little like a stalling engine. "It's fine, little bird." he wheezes._ _

__"Yeah, I'll be the judge of that." Blue's right of course. The bleeding has stopped and he can see the flesh already knitting itself back together right in front of his eyes when he pulls the wadded up bandages away. It has to hurt, yet Blue doesn't make a single sound of discomfort._ _

__Jason however... "I'm sorry."_ _

__"For what?"_ _

__Jason leans their heads together. "For not realising it was a trap sooner. For you having to go through that. Whatever you saw when..." He shivers, remembering the shape of the name Blue had mouthed before his own. "Are you okay?"_ _

__"Fine. You?" Blue says it a little too quickly for Jason to believe him, but this is hardly the place to stop and talk about it. They need to get going before anyone else shows up._ _

__"I'm good." He lies, unable to stop himself from kissing him. "We're going to kill that son of a bitch."_ _

__Blue meets his kiss, turns it hard and possessive, wrenching Jason's head down to his own. A very real indicator for how not okay he is and Jason goes along with it, not complaining even when he bites his lip hard enough to bleed. It no longer surprises Jason that he likes pain when it comes from Dick._ _

__"We will." Blue promises darkly, running a finger across Jason's lip, smearing the blood. "Now let's go. I want to get somewhere warm."_ _

__

__*_ _

__

__They make it back across the city in record time, Jason pushing the bike they hid three streets over to dangerous speeds on Bludhaven's cramped network of roads. Inside, Dick immediately cranks up the thermostat and runs the shower to the point of scalding, pulling Jason in with him to cleanse themselves of the last traces of Scarecrow's gas._ _

___Somewhere warm._ _ _

__He winces as his skin reddens under the assault, gasps as Blue takes advantage of the heat-induced sensitivity to touch him and pretends he doesn't feel the desperation in his hands when he hitches his leg up around Blue's waist._ _

__In Jason's memories of the Court there were icy coffins filled with still pale faces._ _

__Dick fucks him up against the wall of the shower, not relenting until the water finally starts to turn lukewarm. The stab wound from Tarantula has become nothing more than ugly puckered skin that will smooth over in an hour and Jason traces his thumb over it as they curl up together in bed under a mountain of blankets._ _

__He wishes their internal scars could heal so easily._ _

__"What did you see?" Blue finally asks him just as Jason is about to pass out from exhaustion. He has his back pressed against Jason's chest and the only indicator Jason has of his mood is the faster than normal beat of his heart._ _

__He shakes his head, kissing the back of Blue's neck._ _

__"Nothing you haven't already saved me from."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering what kind of horrible vision Dick had under the effects of the fear gas, you may want to check out the latest 'Things Unseen' instalment.
> 
> :')


	3. Chapter 3

Bluebird draws his fingers across the icy rooftop, gathering frost onto his black gloved fingertips until they look like miniature mountain peaks capped in snow. Then, slow, steady and methodical, he leans forward, parting his lips to breath in and out, puffing warm air across his hands until the ice melts and dark wet lines of water trickle down into his palms. Rinse and repeat, he's been at this for more than an hour.

He shouldn't be here. He should be downstairs in the low lit warmth of their apartment, helping Jason go over and over their plan to kill Blockbuster until the details are worked down to a molecular scale, but instead he remains up here; wrapped in a chill wind as he broods to himself over what happened two nights ago.

Fear gas. A horror he knew of, yet had never personally experienced with his limited memory. Memory that doesn't extend back even a decade.

It feels like something's been dislodged inside his chest, ripped open and laid bare for the world to see. That can't be true, but still every breath he takes seems to sing of vulnerability, and anytime he closes his eyes he feels the crawling sensation of his soul being violated all over again.

Violated. That's the only word he can think of to describe what happened. And when they're done with Blockbuster maybe he'll go looking for Scarecrow too, because anyone who comes up with something as loathsome of fear gas deserves to feel their particular brand of justice. 

(The only problem with that plan is that Scarecrow's usual haunt is Gotham, and Gotham is still, for now, off-limits to him and Jason.)

Jason... Blue knows he's been scaring him with his behaviour during the last 48 hours, yet he can't bring himself to open up about what it is that's bothering him. Underneath the shaken confusion runs a bed of anger, liquid and white hot to the touch, and he's afraid that if he says a word, if he even lets it slip for a moment, he might not care who gets in his way.

Even if it is his partner.

A line has been crossed, a door has been opened, and all the shattered pieces of him are threatening to fall out, Talon and Grayson alike. Bluebird hates it. Each time he tries to close his eyes there are _things_ behind them he doesn't recognise or tried so hard to forget. They threaten to eat him alive if he's not careful. 

If Jason knew what he saw he doesn't know what he'd do.

Gunshots. Red Hair. Green eyes. A frayed rope snapping in the light of a yellow circle. Water that filled his lungs and knives that slit his skin.

The heavy press of a huge hand that could kill him in an instant comfortingly gripping the back of his skull instead.

"Blue?"

Speak of the devil. Jason hauls himself up over the lip of the roof's ledge, shivering despite the weight of the heavy leather jacket wrapped around his shoulders. He has something in his hand, a silver thermos flask and a soft knitted scarf. 

Blue doesn't dare look directly at him.

"You've been up here for hours." Jason grumbles, barely keeping the worry out of his voice as he settles down next to him. A moment later Blue feels the weight of the scarf being draped around his neck, followed by the sound of the flask's cap being unscrewed. "Here, I made tea. Put something a little special in it for you too."

He takes the offering, holding it in his hands without a single word in return. A sniff of the contents suggests something spicy and sweet has been added to their usual brew, yet Blue can't begin to guess what it is from smell alone.

Jason twists his mouth in the ghost of a smile when he picks up on that, "It tastes better than it smells, trust me. Go on."

It smells pretty damn good, but Blue is still careful as he takes a sip of the steaming liquid and almost coughs at the hot pleasant burn that goes down his throat. "What... what's in this?"

"He speaks!" Jason says, brightening at having won some reaction from him. It's enough to make Blue feel guilty for how he's been neglecting him. "Just a little spiced rum, that's all. They call it Gunfire in the British army, learned it from a guy I met in India. It's got a good kick, huh?"

"Mm." 

Blue cups the flask between his hands, taking first one sip, then another. The more he drinks the easier it goes down. 

For a while Jason seems content to sit beside him like this, huddling down against the wind. He doesn't ask for the flask back, or even to take a sip of his own. He just wraps his arms around his legs and frowns out over the expanse of the city they're still fighting for, looking even younger than he normally does; a boy forced too soon to grow into a man.

But the silence never lasts long.

"So," Jason fidgets before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Are we going to talk ever? I know being quiet and intense can be kind of your thing, but this is getting fuckin' ridiculous. Feels like I've been living with a ghost the past two days instead of you."

Blue's jaw tightens. His fingernails scratch against the metal flask in his hands as he feels Jason's frustration radiating out over him. "Little bird."

"What?" The younger man draws his shoulders up defensively. "It's true. We're supposed to be working together, we're supposed to be partners. We're supposed to... we're supposed to be able to tell each other _anything_ , Blue. And I'm worried sick about you, okay? You always make me talk to you when I'm upset, so it'd be nice if you could give me the same damn courtesy. I mean, come on, I think I've earned that by now."

The guilt hits Blue all over again, sinking into his bones, twisting into his heart. He wets his lips, tasting the chill in the air that's haunted him since the incident in the school basement.

Jason's not wrong. When it's him that's upset Blue is relentless, even if it means pinning Jason down and forcing the words out of him. That's how it works, that's how he works. But it's never been the other way around like this before; this time Blue's the one who feels like he's suffocating with the earth pulled out from under his feet.

"I..." He tries to start, then takes an extra long pull on the flask before spinning the cap back on the top and setting it to the side. Blue reaches up, presses the heels of his hands against his eyes until they hurt. "I don't know how."

Warmth presses against his side as Jason moves himself closer. "Then don't think, just say whatever comes into your head." His hand presses up against Blue's chest, right over the place where he was stabbed, as if Jason has to assure himself that he's whole all over again. "Trust me, Blue. It'll help."

It still takes a while but with that stellar advice in mind, Blue finally starts talking.

"I don't know what I saw." He admits. "I don't know if any of it was mine, except for the parts where you weren't there. I recognised the feelings, the fear, but it wasn't anything I remembered before. Water, ice. I think I was... I think I was drowning."

Jason shudders at his side, but he doesn't interrupt.

"And now I keep seeing things. Other things. Anytime I close my eyes they're there and they don't belong to me." Blue turns his head, dropping his hands as he looks over the skyline. "I'm... scared of them, Jason. They're not mine, and I don't know if anything good's going to come if I let them in."

"When you say they don't belong to you..." Jason starts to ask, voice curiously hoarse.

"You know what I mean by that."

"Fuck. Do you..." Jason makes a sound a little like he's choking, "Do you... what do you want to do?"

Blue shakes his head and they stay sat like that for a while longer, Blue brooding as Jason holds onto him. Eventually he reaches up and touches Jason's hair. He only knows of one thing that might make him feel better tonight. "We should do it now."

"What?"

"Blockbuster. We should kill him tonight."

"But the plan, Blue. We -"

"Fuck the plan." Jason pulls back to stare at him, eyes wide at the uncharacteristic swear. Blue meets his gaze with heated fervour, hands moving to grasp the younger man's shoulders as he straddles his lap and digs in tight. "He _hurt_ us, Jason. Every second that passes where he's still breathing is an insult. We already have the means and the skill to do it, so what are we waiting for?"

Jason gapes up at him, like he's seeing Bluebird anew. Up this close Blue can't miss the way his pupils dilate and his breathing quickens. He smirks at the obvious signs of the younger man's arousal. "It could get messy if we do it this way. We might miss something."

"Messy is fine, just so long as he's dead by the end of it. The rest we can take care of later."

"Shit." Jason swallows but nods, the wheels in his head turning as he throws out all his carefully formulated ideas in favour of a full-on assault. "Yeah, yeah okay then. We can do it tonight."

For that Blue leans in, biting Jason's lip as a reward to feel him shiver. "No one hurts us and gets away with it, little bird."

"No one." Jason agrees, moaning when Blue slides off his lap. He sniffles and rubs his nose, which is starting to look a little red. "Can't we -"

His meaning is clear but Blue shakes his head, smile sharp as a knife. "It'll be better after."

They climb back down into the apartment to gather their gear, Blue striding with angry confidence as Jason's heated gaze burns into his back. It's time for them to restore the equilibrium.

 

*

 

It's not a fix, Blue isn't stupid enough to think that. If anything it's a balm, a temporary patch over an open wound, but at this moment he'll take anything that will drive the uncertainty from his soul.

Jason's guns are blazing beside him, picking off henchman like flies. Their quiet entrance failed quickly, mostly because neither of them has patience for anything but blood tonight. But it doesn't matter, they're already far enough into Blockbuster's home that it won't make a difference.

Nothing is saving that monster now.

They hear him coming long before they see him. The thud of Blockbuster's massive footsteps on the ground make the house shake with miniature earthquakes, and they barely have time to toss each other a mad cap grin before the double doors at the end of the hall splinter apart under the force of Desmond's fury.

"YOU DARE!" He roars, hands the size of wheelbarrows lunging for them as they run together, moving seamlessly in sync.

Jason holsters his pistols as they draw Blockbuster forwards, replacing them instead with the heavy-duty rifle that he's had slung over his back the entire time. It's loaded with armour piercing rounds, overkill to anyone else maybe, but with them there's no such thing.

"Ready, babe?" Jason laughs as he runs. They enter some kind of sitting room that's been specially expanded and built to accommodate Blockbuster's oversized bulk.

Blue rolls his eyes and veers off to the side as Jason whirls, rifle in hand. He stands like one of those hunters in the old black and white movies they sometimes watch together on Sunday afternoons, facing down a charging rhino with unflappable composure. One, two... the bullets slice through the air and Roland Desmond's kneecaps both.

It's a little like watching a house fall, Blue thinks, only louder. There's the surprise that his legs fail him, then pain and fury as Blockbuster topples forwards, leaving a trail of blood and shattered bone across the floor as he slides towards Jason's feet.

That's Blue's cue.

Jason hops backwards as Roland lets out another roar, still swiping with his hands as he attempts to get the pesky vigilante within grabbing distance, and that's all the distraction Bluebird needs as he leaps lightly onto Blockbuster's back and slides his blade between two of the lower vertebrae in the giant's spine. A lot of what the Court taught him still comes in handy; like exactly where to hit someone to cause instant paralysis. Everything below Blockbuster's waist goes dead and the shock on the crime kingpin's face is simply beautiful to behold.

"What did you... what did you do?!" He tries to roll, turning his attention from Jason to Bluebird. Like this his blows are easy to evade and Blue rides him like a flea on the back of the world's ugliest dog, scampering up to the back of his neck and slamming two more knives into his shoulders. The paralysis doesn't extend up that high in his body, so Blockbuster feels every drop of pain as they pierce his flesh and sever the ligaments that allow him to move his arms as well. "You little -!"

"This is your fault, you know." Blue tells him, hissing in his ear. Cold, low and deadly. Furious. "You made this happen."

Underneath him Blockbuster flops like a fish in his rage.

"We wouldn't be here if it weren't for the things you've done to this city, and I wouldn't be doing this now if it wasn't for what you did to _us_." Blue's very aware of Jason watching and listening on the sidelines, gun still trained on the exits in case anymore backup comes for Blockbuster. "You deserve this."

Blockbuster laughs, but something's wrong. He's wheezing, sweating, and it's not just because of the wounds they've inflicted on him. "Hilarious." he coughs, "Brought down by... by _vermin_." A spasm in his chest almost shakes Bluebird off his back and he tilts his head, listening in morbid fascination to Blockbuster's breathing. "Go on then, finish it."

"Why, you in a hurry, Evil Hagrid?" Jason asks as he reloads his rifle, deceptively casual.

"I'd rather be dead than have to listen to your inane chatter a moment longer."

Jason snorts as Blue shoves the claws on his gloves into the back of Blockbuster's neck, cruelly pinching the skin. He thinks he gets it now.

"He's dying." He tells Jason.

"Well yeah, that's what we want." 

" _No_. He was dying before we got here. And now he's having a heart attack."

Jason finishes snapping the bullets into place and looks up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Well isn't that interesting. Guess we were just too much for the old man to take, huh?" He snickers and looks more closely at Desmond, kicking him in the face so that his nose breaks, "How's it feel, fucker?! You hear Hell calling your name, yet? Let me tell ya, I hope it hurts, I hope it really fucking hurts. I hope everyone you ever murdered or tortured is watching and laughing right now. You're a worm, you were before you swallowed that bottle of skele-grow or whatever the fuck it was, and you're still one now."

He reaches out a hand and Bluebird takes it, stepping delicately off Blockbuster's back as a lady would descend from her carriage before he's pulled in against Jason's side. There's a silent agreement between the two of them to stand together and watch Blockbuster die slowly by means of his own weakened heart, ignoring his threats, insults and almost pleas as he tries to antagonise them into finishing the job that much quicker. 

By the end he's just a husk of himself, a grey withered shell and Blue smiles when Jason leans over and spits on the corpse.

"Want to blow this joint?"

Bluebird snorts at the pun, taking out the explosives they both carried in with them. They head to separate corners of the room to lay the charges before meeting back up at the window to the front lawn.

By the time the bomb goes off they're far enough away to really appreciate the fireworks as a spectacular herald to the sun rising in the East, while on the road a steady line of blue and red lights stream up the hill. As usual, the Bludhaven cops arrive hours too late.

"Hey, you feel better?" Jason's watching him. The pale morning frost glimmers on the roof, and Jason's nose looks redder than ever as he sniffles again and rubs his hand against the back of it.

Blue nods, because it's not untrue. He does feel better for now, even though the things they talked about earlier still linger in the back of his mind, waiting for him to let them back in again. "Yes." 

He wraps his arms around Jason, leans up to kiss him on his toes and then sighs as he ducks back out of the range of the sneeze his lover lets loose a moment after. "Sorry, sorry. M'okay." Jason mutters hurriedly, "I'm good."

"I doubt that very much." Blue says wryly, wrapping his hand around Jason's arm to pull him homewards. He supposes it was inevitable with how cold it's been at night lately, and Jason was sat up on that rooftop with him for a long time last night. "Come on, little bird, it's time we got you in bed."

"I'm fine. Honestly, Blue." Jason protests, punctuated by another sneeze, and Blue can't hide his grin at the bravado. It's cute, even if the developing cold his little bird has is not. 

"Mmhm."

They get home and Blue bundles Jason up in both blankets and himself, wrapping his limbs around him possessively. Another flask of hot tea with rum in it sits by the bedside and Jason sighs as Blue peppers small kisses up his neck.

Mission accomplished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gunfire (the drink) is a real thing. I've personally never tasted it, but it's definitely something I can see Jason enjoying.

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter of what will be the 'killing Blockbuster' mini-arc. After taking a break from this series I'm pretty much bursting ideas for future parts, so expect more soon :)


End file.
